Soldiers Songs

Product Description A unique mixture of history and song by combat veteran Mike McCann, this collection covers songs from World Wars I & II, Vietnam, the American and Irish civil wars, the British African Wars and a few Irish rebellions. Traditional favorites like the "The Minstrel Boy" and "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" are joined by "The D-Day Dodgers", that satire fired at Lady Astor for her ill-conceived comment about the lads of the British 8th Army fighting in the Italian campaign of World War II. And there's "The Wall", a powerful new song by Tim Murphy about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. "The Rose of No Man's Land" is done as a tribute to McCann's great aunt who served as a nurse on the battlefields of World War I The CD insert contains well-researched background on the songs, placing each in its historical context, making the lyrics come alive. The album was produced by John Whelan, the 7-time All-Ireland accordion champion and recording artist, and features uilleann piper Jerry O'Sullivan, guitarist Pat Kilbride, pianist Kinny Landrum, violinist Lisa Gutkin and John on accordion. Today there is a keen interest in great wars and battles. The Civil War Chronicles, Saving Private Ryan and The History Channel have attracted wide audiences. "Soldiers' Songs" amplifies this interest with music and lyrics which tell powerful stories about these wars and the soldiers who fought them. The CD is proving popular with veterans, history buffs, educators and lovers of folk music. Amazon.com Michael McCann, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient for his service and valor in the Vietnam War, hails from an Irish-American family with a strong choral tradition. Here, under the watch of Ireland's many-time accordion champ, producer John Whelan, McCann sensitively delivers 13 songs drawn from 8 wars including World Wars I and II, Vietnam, and the American and Irish Civil Wars. McCann's Celtic choir-boy folk minstrelsy is warmly supported by a backing band that includes Whelan's squeezebox, Pat Kilbride on guitar, and the exquisite pipes and whistles of Jerry O'Sullivan. Outstanding are a haunting version of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," the multiple harmonies of "The Rose of No Man's Land," the falsetto warble of "The Minstrel Boy," and the brief but beautiful instrumental "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier," on which McCann's whistling takes the lead. --Paige La Grone Review Mike's voice is among the most powerful and expressive I've heard. He makes the old songs new. There's a harp track on "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" that will haunt you forever. "We Danced to an Old Fashioned Tune" will give the dance crowd a new tune to waltz to. This CD is a superb example of the voice being the best musical instrument. -- The Cornstalk Gazette, the publication of The Folk Federation of New South Wales, Inc., Australia, 1998 From the Label Michael McCann has been singing all of his life, but he's just getting around to making his first album, "Soldiers' Songs", in which he displays a smooth and soulful Irish tenor on 13 folk-inflected tunes dealing with warriors and war. On his professionally produced album, McCann turns in a particularly haunting version of Eric Bogle's anti-war anthem, "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and a fine rendition of Tim Murphy's ode to those who died in Vietnam, "The Wall". About the Artist Mike McCann knows what he's singing about in "Soldiers' Songs". As a young man in the early '60s, he was a history major on voice scholarship at Fairfield University. After graduation (BA History; MA Communications), he enlisted in the US Army, became a paratrooper and Green Beret sergeant and served on a Special Forces A-Team in Vietnam where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor. After raising a family and retiring after 25 years with the local phone company, Mike returned to those early experiences of music, history and war and mixed them into an album of "Soldiers' Songs". He performs before historical societies and veterans and seniors groups in Connecticut and has recently developed a program for the classroom called "Hooked on History through Music". He has been a solo artist and member and conductor of folk and choral groups.
ASIN: B00000GC4Y
VSKU: DBV.B00000GC4Y.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:McCann, Michael
Binding: Audio cd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!